Wyatt Teller’s Farewell Signals the End of a Browns’ Era

Wyatt Teller made it official. He will not return to the Cleveland Browns.

The veteran right guard posted a farewell message to fans on Instagram as he prepares to enter free agency, closing the door on a seven-year run that began with a trade from Buffalo before the 2019 season. Teller started 94 games in Cleveland and became one of the defining pieces of the offensive line that reshaped the franchise’s identity at the start of the Kevin Stefanski and Andrew Berry era.

His departure represents something more. It comes as all five of Cleveland’s projected Week 1 offensive line starters are currently unsigned entering the new league year.

The 2020 Offensive Line Rebuild Is Over

When Stefanski and Berry took over in 2020, rebuilding the offensive line became the immediate priority. The Browns signed Jack Conklin in free agency to stabilize right tackle and used the No. 10 overall pick on Jedrick Wills Jr. to address left tackle.

The following offseason, Cleveland extended Teller and Joel Bitonio, solidifying the interior. Along with center JC Tretter and later Ethan Pocic, that group became the backbone of the Browns’ 11-5 season and playoff win in 2020.

The offensive identity was clear. Cleveland leaned into run versatility, using zone and gap concepts behind a veteran front that allowed Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt to operate in multiple-back formations. Chubb earned four Pro Bowl selections between 2019 and 2023, and the continuity up front helped sustain production even as the quarterback position changed.

All of that sounds like a different time.

Stefanski was fired this offseason, while Berry remains as general manager. The offensive line constructed during their initial tenure together is turning over at every position. New head coach Todd Monken is now tasked with figuring this out.

Conklin’s contract expires. Pocic is coming off a ruptured Achilles injury. Cam Robinson is also headed toward free agency. Bitonio, 34, pushed the void date of his contract to March 11 while deciding whether to return for a 13th season or retire. He has appeared in 178 regular-season games and ranks ninth in franchise history in games played.

Teller carries a cap hit of $19.404 million in 2026 and $11.111 million in 2027 because of void years in his contract. A post-June 1 designation would significantly reduce those figures.

Wills’ trajectory underscores the shift. The former first-round pick started 57 games but was benched last year in favor of Dawand Jones. He sat our the 2025 season and remains an afterthought in Cleveland.

Zero Starters Under Contract Entering the New League Year

As it stands, none of Cleveland’s projected Week 1 offensive line starters are under contract. There is a ton of work for Monken and Berry to sort out. Free agency is right around the corner, and the Browns hold the first-round picks.

But unlike the group built in 2020 through draft investment and extensions, Monken is inheriting an empty shelf. If Bitonio does not return, the core of that rebuild will be gone.

For years, the Browns leaned on continuity up front. Protection and line play gave the offense structure. Entering 2026, that certainty no longer exists. The next version of Cleveland’s identity is completely unknown.